The British Museum

It's a puny photo, but here is Phyllis deciphering the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum. This is the real thing! The great link that allowed us to read ancient Egyptian writings. Pretty Cool. Other items in the British Museum include the some Greek marbles that the Greeks want back pretty bad, many huge stones from Egypt, Easter Island, and many other remote areas of the world. It is amazing, all the things the Brits swiped from around the world. They justify it by saying that if they hadn't "collected" the stuff, we wouldn't be able to see it anywhere in the world. Either way, it is amazing!

We finally got to visit the famous HARRODS department store. It was like Christmas in there - people wall-to-wall. Six floors of everything from A to Z. Phyllis found a scarf for 250 pounds ($500). Yikes! (she didn't buy it of course) I found polo equipment - now all I need is a horse to put it on. In the main stair well there was an opera singer cutting loose on some Italian Aria. Impressive. All in all, the place was quite out of our league but it was fun to visit.

Thanks for your comments. They make this fun.

Graveyard resident of the week: Evans, Mary Ann (1818-1890) Author writing under the pseudonym GEORGE ELIOT. Novels include Middlemarch and Mill on the Floss.

Kenwood House

This is Kenwood House which is about 20 minutes walk from the LMC. It houses a free museum displaying paintings like Rembrandt, Vermeer, Turner, Reynolds and Gainsborough. Here is the link to the web site http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server.php?show=conProperty.106 There is also a nice pub and restaurant with a nice outdoor patio for dining. If you come visit us we will take you there for lunch!

Sunday was the last warmish day we've had for a bit. We had snow, sleet and rain falling yesterday and there was ice on the surface of the water puddles this morning. Yikes - reminds me of Colorado winter! Today was sunny but didn't warm up much.

We are doing great. Each day we feel more at home.

Tombstone of the week: Gray, Henry (1826-1861) Lecturer in anatomy who died young but is widely for his 'Anatomy descriptive and surgical' - Gray's Anatomy - http://www.answers.com/topic/gray-henry

We got shingles and a fireplace.

I don't know what type of dance they are doing, but if it's a snow or rain dance..... well that's just nasty. Andrew and Emma Graber are showing off their moves on the hearth. The shingles are half finished and the chimney chase has been constructed. The weather has been mostly cooperative in Woodland Park, but I guess the warm temps make things a bit muddy.

Special thanks to Tanya Graber for taking the time to get the pictures.

London - Another Land of Aaaaaaas!

This week we are enjoying a visit from our first North American guests - Weldon, Jenny, and Laurel Martens. They are visiting with another couple from Nebraska who's son is in VS in Northern England. So far we have been able to spend Sunday with them and we took in the Evensong Service at Westminster Abby at 3:00 PM and a ride on the famous London Eye a huge ferris-wheel on the banks of the River Themes. It was a spectacular evening and the views were brilliant! We hope we will be able to take in a musical with them on Wednesday night. They have been touring the city on there own for the last two days. They've seen more in two days than we have in a month!

We just finished hosting our first solo conference at the LMC. The presenter was a professor from EMU - Jayne Docherty. Everything went very well. Phyllis cooked up some killer meals and the weather was nice enough for the folks to eat outside on the patio.

Highgate Cemetery Resident of the Week - Cruft, Charles (1852-1938) Initiator of the annual British dog show 'Crufts'.

House Progress

I just got off the phone with the general contractor who told me that the fireplace was installed today. As you can see the deck is framed now and shingles are stacked on the roof. They plan to build the chimney chase tomorrow and install the skylight so the roofers can finish. I really want them to get the roof on before they do any insulating or sheetrocking inside.

The weather is expected to be warmer now. This is the third day of 50 degrees + after a number of weeks of nasty winter weather. One of the workers rolled his car trying to get up there a few weeks ago which stinks and with all the freezing and melting the driveway is quite a mess and dangerous.

Special thanks to Corbin Graber for taking pictures for us.

The only Mennonite Church in England

The Wood Green Mennonite Church has exactly eleven members and average weekly attendance of 20 +/-. They are a normal church as far as we can see - just small. They meet Sunday afternoons at 3:00 PM in the fellowship hall of a Baptist Church in the town of Wood Green - about 3 1/2 miles from the LMC. The church was started in the LMC and relocated to Wood Green to try to relate and connect with the community there. It has not been easy. There is no pastor, as such. The weekly responsibilities are handed around and organization is maintained by the head elder who is paid 1/2 time. They are a friendly bunch and each Sunday service is ended with - what else -tea!

Phyllis and I are finding our stride. Phyllis works in the office mostly, maintaining the calendars, communicating with expected guests, distributing mail, cleaning, laundry, and - what else - making tea! I have been doing my favorite thing - fixing things. Not big things, just things like sticking doors, broken lights, doorbells, appliances, etc. Also, I have been spending time trimming trees in the beautiful garden. There are a number of apple trees and other fruit trees that have not been producing. I'll either be the hero or the goat - depending if they produce this year.

Last Thursday we enjoyed our first of (I hope) many London live performances. We saw PHANTOM of the OPERA at Her Majesty's Theatre in downtown London. One of the fellows that lives here at the LMC works very close to the theatre district and is able to get last minute discount tickets. Very nice!

Highgate Cemetary Resident of the Week: Dulcken, Maria Louise (1811-1850) Possibly the first woman to play at the Philharmonic Concerts. Queen Victoria's piano teacher.